Review by Sydvanvleet -- The Ultimate Guide to Zombies

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Sydvanvleet
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Joined: 31 Jan 2018, 16:57
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Review by Sydvanvleet -- The Ultimate Guide to Zombies

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[Following is a volunteer review of "The Ultimate Guide to Zombies" by Dave Robertson.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Including the introduction, Dave Robertson’s The Ultimate Guide to Zombies is fourteen chapters stuffed with information about every aspect involving zombies imaginable. The book’s opening chapters cover the origin of the concept of a zombie, which is deep within Haitian and West African Voodoo. Originally, a zombie was a person who was given a neurotoxin by a witch doctor. The neurotoxin would slow down vital signs so as to make them imperceptible to the point that even trained medical professionals would declare the person dead. These individuals were buried; they either regained consciousness within the coffins and dug themselves free, or the witch doctor who drugged them would retrieve them himself. These individuals became extremely open to suggestion, incapable of speech, and awkward and ungainly—the perfect candidates for forced manual labor. This true-life Voodoo zombie eventually evolved in the modern consciousness into the shambling cannibalistic ghouls we know and love today.

Other chapters include zombie appearances in movies and shows, especially how the idea of the zombie transformed from the Haitian automaton, to a flesh-eating grunt, to a violent rager, to anything in between. Robertson explores how films, especially those by George Romero, affected modern culture and its perception of the zombie. Other topics covered in The Ultimate Guide to Zombies include zombie anatomy, combat and defense techniques, recommended reading and watching, zombie events occurring around the world, and other fascinating facts.

Robertson uses a light, slightly sarcastic tone to lay out every conceivable zombie-relevant topic in his guide. I enjoyed the guide immensely as an avid zombie fan. I was open to be especially critical of the guide precisely because of my interest in the subject, and Robertson did not disappoint. I give Robertson’s book 3 out of 4 stars. I did not give it two stars because I thought it accomplished its title in being the ultimate resource for information regarding the undead. I would have liked to have given the book four stars, but I counted way too many typographical errors and grammatical oversights.

I loved the Guide. It was a mother lode of zombie lore all in one place, highly detailed and entertaining. It was written in what I consider to be the perfect style for the subject matter. In contrast, Max Brooks’ The Zombie Survival Guide, discussed in Robertson’s book, is told as though the zombie apocalypse is upon us; it is written as fact. It is serious and told as complete non-fiction whereas The Ultimate Guide to Zombies is playful while giving a well-rounded account of all things zombie.

One does not have to be a zombie lover in order to enjoy this book. As Robertson explores in chapter seven, the zombie is a monster for the everyman. For years I have thought that the reason zombie stories are so appealing is because truly good zombie art is never about the ghoul but always about human spirit and the will to survive. Zombies simply provide a flexible and ready backdrop for stories of intense drama and trauma. Anyone who has been a fan of zombies for years would love this comprehensive guide. It is also extremely accessible as a tool for new inductees to the undead subculture which has made its way into the mainstream. Even those readers who prefer stories about vampires and werewolves would have something to glean from the pages of Robertson’s guide, which is humorous and informative. Readers who have no interest in make-believe monsters should most likely steer clear, but I could be wrong. As I mentioned, it’s never really been about the zombies.

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The Ultimate Guide to Zombies
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